HONOLULU — A Honolulu deputy prosecutor convicted of driving under the influence in 2007 was arrested on suspicion of the same charge Saturday in Waikiki. ADVERTISING HONOLULU — A Honolulu deputy prosecutor convicted of driving under the influence in 2007
HONOLULU — A Honolulu deputy prosecutor convicted of driving under the influence in 2007 was arrested on suspicion of the same charge Saturday in Waikiki.
Jon Riki Karamatsu, 40, a former state legislator, also refused to submit to a breath, blood or urine test in the early morning traffic stop, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
Karamatsu did not respond to requests for comment over the phone or at his home, Honolulu television station KHON reported.
Karamatsu represented Waipahu, Village Park and Waikele in the state House and was first elected in 2002. He made an unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor in 2010 and afterward joined the prosecutor’s office.
“We’re extremely disappointed,” said Dave Koga, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office. “At this point, we need to wait until all the facts are in before deciding how to move forward.”
He was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in 2007 when he lost control of his car on Moanalua Freeway and struck a concrete pillar. A breath test measured his blood-alcohol content at 0.171 percent, more than twice the legal limit.
Karamatsu pleaded no contest to the charge. He was sentenced to 72 hours of community service fined $750. He stepped down as vice speaker of the House but won re-election in 2008.
Honolulu police stopped Karamatsu at 1:33 a.m. Saturday on Ala Moana Boulevard near Hobron Lane.
Karamatsu’s case probably will be handled by the Attorney General’s Office, Koga said.
